Pneumatic weft separator



Mamh 1966 w. RAINER 3,238,976

PNEUMATIC WEFT SEPARATOR Filed March 11, 1963 FIG.|

INVENTOR WALTER RAINER BY QWJ-I/ A ORNEY United States Patent 3,238,976PNEUMATIC WEFT SEPARATOR Walter Rainer, 23 Bahnhofstrasse, Dornbirn,Vorarlberg, Austria Filed Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,347

Claims priority, application Austria, Mar. 24, 1962, A 2,405/62 2Claims. (Cl. 139-1703) This invention relates to looms, and moreparticularly to weft restraining devices for multi-shuttle looms, andespecially those equipped with change boxes, and particularly drop boxesor the like.

In multi-shuttle looms, e.g., of the type wherein the shuttle change iseffected by means of a drop box, the compartment accommodating theshuttle with the weft color desired, is brought into alignment with thepath of the slaythe proper selection being controlled by a pattern card.Change mechanisms of this kind are known to suffer from the grave defectthat frequently, during the change operation, the several weft threadsbecome entangled with one another, often with the result that on pickingnot only the weft thread derived from the shuttle aligned with the pathof the slay, but also threads from adjacent shuttles are introduced intothe fabric being woven. These unwanted threads must then be removedagain individually, which is a delicate and hence hard and timeconsuming task.

It is the primary object of the present invention to eliminate thisproblem, and to effectively prevent the entanglement of weft threadsderiving from different shuttles, particularly during a shuttle changeoperation.

It is another object of the invention to provide means for preventingweft entanglement which are simple in construction and operation andtherefore, vastly improve the shuttle change procedure without addingmaterially to the cost of manufacture or operation of the loom.

A further object of the invention is the provision of weft entanglementpreventive devices which are susceptible of incorporation in existinglooms.

Other objects, and the manner in which the same are obtained, willbecome apparent as this specification proceeds.

Viewed in its broader aspects, the invention contemplates providing amulti-shuttle change box, and preferably a drop box with superposedcompartments, on the side facing the slay, with a pneumatic suctionsystem for restraining or securing the individual weft threads. Inaccordance with the basic principles of the invention, the weft threadsemerging from the several shuttle compartments are pneumatically placedunder tension, in the region between the shuttle compartment and thefabric being woven, whereby any entanglement of the several weft threadsin this region is effectively eliminated.

Regarded somewhat more specifically, the invention encompasses orificescorrelated with the individual shuttle compartments of a drop box, forexample, and suction conduits deriving from a suction main, leading toindividual orifices.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming part thereof,several embodiments of the invention are illustrated diagrammatically byWay of example.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention in adiagrammatic side view, seen with a suction system, and the view takenfrom the opposite side of the individual shuttle compartments of thedrop box, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, of a modificationof a detail of FIG. 1, drawn to a larger scale.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the inven- 3,238,976 PatentedMar. 8, 1966 tion which includes a drop box 1 comprising fourcompartments 2 each containing a shuttle (shown in dashes) arranged onone side of the slay or lay.

The side wall of the drop box facing the operator comprises, in theregion where the compartments 2 open toward the slay, suction orifices11 each of which is connected with an individual suction tube 12 (shownin dashes in FIG. 1). All suction tubes 12 open into a suction main 13which is connected to a suction pipe leading to a suction pump.

The suction orifices 11 have an oblong configuration and extendhorizontally. The top shuttle compartment 2 is provided with a singlesuction orifice 11 which is disposed in the bottom half of thecompartment. Similarly, the bottom compartment is equipped with only onesuction orifice, which, however, is situated in the upper half of thevertical wall of the compartment. The remaining compartments, however,are each provided with two suction orifices 11 one of which is locatedin the upper half of the compartment wall, while the other isdisposed-in the lower half of said wall.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction pipes 12 shown in FIG. 1, which connectthe suction orifices 11 provided in the side wall of the drop box, withthe suction main 13, can be replaced by suction channels 14 which arearranged in the wall of the drop box.

The effect that the pneumatic suction device of FIGS. 1 and 2 has on theweft threads 9, is apparent from the disposition of these threads inFIGS. 1 and 2. Weft threads 9 deriving from shuttle compartments whichare situated just above the race board 5, are exposed to suetionemanating from the bottom orifice in said compartment, while weftthreads 9 which derive from shuttle compartments disposed just below therace board 5, are exposed in each instance to the orifice in the toppart of each compartment. The weft thread 9 deriving from the shuttlewhich is disposed just in the plane of the race board 5 (i.e., thesecond shuttle from the top in FIG. 3), can be drawn in by suctionemanating from the orifice in the upper half of the compartment, as wellas by the orifice in the lower half of the compartment. For this reason,the walls of the top and bottom compartments, respectively, may beprovided with a single orifice only.

Manifestly, the suction system of the invention, and particularly theseveral embodiments shown and described herein, is susceptible of use inconnection with drop boxes comprising a different number ofcompartments, such as six instead of four compartments, for example.

For picking purposes, the shuttles are conveyed into the plane of therace board of the slay, the race board serving as the gliding surface.The stroke of the drop box is controlled to convey any one of theshuttles into the plane of the race board.

The invention may be further elaborated by a number of refinements. Forexample, the compartment walls provided with orifices according to FIGS.1 and 2, may have groove-like recesses leading toward the orifices, forpreventing the shuttle when it leaves the compartment, from forcing theweft thread against the edges around the orifices, thus damaging orcutting the thread. The inner edges of the suction orifices may berounded, for the same purpose.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to thedetails of construction, design and operation illustrated and described,as numerous modifications embraced by the appended claims and involvingno departure from the spirit of the invention nor any sacrifice of theadvantages thereof, are likely to occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: 1. In a multi-shuttle loom comprising a lay including a raceplate and a drop box including a plurality of compartments arranged onthe side of said lay, shuttles being disposed in said compartments andweft threads deriving from said shuttles extending toward said lay, andpneumatic suction means for attracting and restraining individual weftthreads to prevent the mutual entanglement thereof in the region betweensaid drop box and the adjacent selvage of the cloth, said suction meanscomprising suction orifices adjacent the mouths of the individualcompartments of the drop box and at least one suction conduit leading tosaid suction orifices, said drop box comprising at least four shuttlecompartments vertically superposed on one another, one orifice beingprovided in the lower half of the top compartment, one orifice beingprovided in the upper half of the bottom compartment, and two orificesbeing provided in the remaining compartments, one of said two orificesbeing disposed in the upper half of the compartment While the other isdisposed in the lower half of said compartment.

2. In a multi-shuttle loom comprising a lay including a race plate and adrop box including a plurality of compartments arranged on the side ofsaid lay, shuttles being disposed in said compartments and weft threadsderiving from said shuttles extending toward said lay, and pneumaticsuction means for attracting and restraining indi vidual weft threads toprevent the mutual entanglement thereof in the region between said dropbox and the adjacent selvage of the cloth, said suction means comprisingsuction orifices adjacent the mouths of the individual compartments ofthe drop box and at least one suction conduit leading to said suctionorifices, said drop box comprising at least four shuttle compartmentsvertically superposed on one another and said compartments having sidewalls, one orifice being provided in the side Wall of the lower half ofthe top compartment, one orifice being provided in the side wall of theupper half of the bottom compartment, and two orifices being provided inthe side walls of the remaining compartments, one of said two orificesbeing disposed in the upper half of the compartment while the other isdisposed in the lower half of said compartment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS DONALD W. PARKER,Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner.

I. KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A MULTI-SHUTTLE LOOM COMPRISING A LAY INCLUDING A RACE PLATE AND ADROP BOX INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF COMPARTMENTS ARRANGED ON THE SIDE OFSAID LAY, SHUTTLES BEING DISPOSED IN SAID COMPARTMENTS AND WEFT THREADSDERIVING FROM SAID SHUTTLES EXTENDING SAID LAY, AND PNEUMATIC SUCTIONMEANS FOR ATTRACTING AND RESTRAINING INDIVIDUAL WEFT THREADS TO PREVENTTHE MUTUAL ENTANTLEMENT THEREOF IN THE REGION BETWEEN SAID DROP BOX ANDTHE ADJACENT SELVAGE OF THE CLOTH, SAID SUCTION MEANS COMPRISING SUCTIONORIFICES ADJACENT THE MOUTHS OF THE INDIVIDUAL COMPARTMENTS OF THE DROPBOX AND AT LEAST ONE SUCTION CONDUIT LEADING TO SAID SUCTION ORIFICES,SAID DROP BOX COMPRISING AT LEAST FOUR SHUTTLE COMPARTMENTS VERTICALLYSUPERPOSED ON ONE ANOTHER, ONE ORIFICE BEING PROVIDED IN THE LOWER HALFOF THE TOP COMPARTMENTG, ONE ORIFICE BEING PROVIDED IN THE UPPER HALF OFTHE BOTTOM COMPARTMENT, AND TWO ORIFICES BEING PROVIDED IN THE REMAININGCOMPARTMENTS, ONE OF SAID TWO ORIFICES BEING DISPOSED IN THE UPPER HALFOF THE COMPARTMENT WHILE THE OTHER IS DISPOSED IN THE LOWER HALF OF SAIDCOMPARTMENT.